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As we explored yesterday, there’s a lot to be thankful for. And we all love being a part of the crowd at concerts but, if you’re like me, I’m not a huge of fan of fighting the crowds while doing my holiday shopping.

So here’s a special Live Fix Black Friday post packed with online (and easy) holiday gifts ideas for live music fans, free downloads and top picks for weekend shows.

We’ll get right to it and kick off this mega-post with a list of Black Friday Deals and other holiday gift specials from our sponsors.

I wanted to make it real easy to find cool gifts for concert fans that you could order easily online or even from your smartphone while you’re at the show, so I combed through all the offers and picked out the best gift ideas and deals from Wolfgang’s Vault, Amazon, Best Buy, Musician’s Friend, Toshiba and iTunes.

WGV’s WVIP Memberships would also make a great gift for any live music fan because a Wolfgang’s Vault Membership includes:

$50 credit toward downloads and merchandise

higher quality streaming

automatic 30% discount on concert downloads

10% on store purchases, and many more perks

If you’re wondering, the downloads can be transferred to your iPod, burned to a CD or whatever you wish. And all of the downloads are available in both high-quality 256k mp3 and lossless CD-quality FLAC format. And if you’re looking to go mobile, go check out the WGV iPhone app.

I wouldn’t be able to do much without my Toshiba Satellite because it plays a vital role in producing and publishing Live Fix. And if you’re looking to upgrade your laptop set up Toshiba is offering these deals from Black Friday through Cyber Monday:

And for Beatles fans who want to own a classic live concert by the Fab Four, you might want to surprise them with The Beatles’ Live At the Washington Coliseum, 1964 that’s available now as a music video download on iTunes.

This week our sponsors and partners over at the MOG Music Network have a bunch of new releases from Kayne West, Rascal Flats, Robyn, Cee-Lo Green, Bruce Springsteen, Kid Cudi, Wu-Tang, The Tallest Man On Earth, N.E.R.D., Kid Cudi and Cee-Lo Green and others.

Many of those releases have been on my recent favorites list, and I’ve started to wonder what the songs will be like live as the artists get ready for, or continue, their current tours.

A subscription to MOG would make a great holiday gift and you can download or stream all those new releases, and as many other albums as you want, when you sign up for a FREE 14 day trial at MOG.

For a full review that explains why I love MOG, check out this review of their highly addictive music subscription service.

What You Missed
In case you’ve missed them, go check out the other free downloads from Girl Talk, Keys N Krates, Pixies and others that we’ve featured previously on Live Fix.

Concert Previews: Chicago Human Rhythm Project and Holiday Shows

Alight, now for the live shows…

Our friends at CHIRP (Chicago Independent Radio) are having a holiday concert series featuring the Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s 20th Anniversary Season with Global Rhythms 6, with 50% of ticket sales going to support CHIRP.

Here’s the details:

Friday, Nov. 26, 8pm

Diabolus in Musica

Be the Groove

BAM!

Fulcrum Point New Music Project

Saturday, Nov. 27, 8pm

Step Afrika! Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater

Ensemble Espanol Youth Company

BAM!

Saturday, Nov. 27, 3pm

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project

BAM!

Fulcrum Point New Music Project

St. Alphonsus Academy & Center for the Arts

South Shore Drill Team

Sunday, Nov. 28, 3pm

Step Afrika!

Tatsu Aoki, the Miyumi Project

Tsukasa Taiko

BAM!

Fulcrum Point New Music Project

South Shore Drill Team

It all takes place at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL 60601

Tickets are $15-$55 and you can buy them here: And be sure to use the promo code CHRP-RADIO to receive 10% off your ticket.